Processing and preserving fresh kava product and process of making it stable

ABSTRACT

Embodiments herein relate to one or more methods comprising heating of a kava product; pressurizing the kava product; electrically pulsing the kava product; homogenizing the kava product; cooling the kava product; and packaging of the kava product; wherein the method is configured to stabilize the kava product against microbiological decomposition.

RELATED APPLICATIONS

The present application is a continuation application of U.S.application Ser. No. 16/271,848 filed on Feb. 10, 2019, which is relatedto previously filed U.S. patent application Ser. No. 15/899,383, filedFeb. 20, 2018, entitled ENHANCED KAVA EXTRACT, METHOD OF MAKING THESAME, AND COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, U.S. patent application Ser. No.15/899,385, filed Feb. 20, 2018, entitled ENHANCED KAVA EXTRACT, METHODOF MAKING THE SAME, AND COMPOSITIONS THEREOF, and U.S. patentapplication Ser. No. 16/020,875, filed Jun. 27, 2018, entitledCONCENTRATE AND PRODUCTS CONTAINING KAVA, AND METHODS OF MAKING THESAME. All patents and patent publications referred to in the presentapplication are incorporated herein in their entirety.

FIELD OF INVENTION

This invention relates to the process of making kava juices and otherkava products more stable with long shelf life, and products madeaccording to the process. The invention is more particularly concernedwith a combinatorial process involving ultra-high temperature,pasteurization and pascalization techniques together for treating kavajuices and other kava products suitable for extended shelf life andstability, and products made according to the process.

BACKGROUND

Kava (Piper methysticum) is a tropical shrub and belongs to the familypiperaceae that grows commonly throughout the islands of South Pacific.This shrub is also grown in countries including Fiji, Vanuatu, USA,Samoa and Tonga. It is also referred to as intoxicating pepper. Kava andits products have been used in traditional medicine and for culturalpurposes across Oceania for possibly as long as 30 centuries.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,770,207 A discloses a dietary supplement having kavaroot extract and at least one additional relaxing herb selected from thegroup consisting of Passion Flower, Chamomile Flowers, Hops, andSchizandra Fruit.

U.S. Pat. No. 5,976,550 A discloses a composition of matter to achieve afat reducing effect comprising: a sugar based confectionary to be eatenbefore a meal to minimize the appetite, a therapeutic amount of chitosanmixed in the confectionary together with a therapeutic amount of kavawhereby the chitosan functions to attract fat to form a non-digestibleamalgam of chitosan and fat that passes out of the body and whereby thekava functions to reduce a desire to eat by mildly anesthetizing themouth.

U.S. Pat. No. 9,636,373 B1 discloses to a kava-based beveragecomposition. In one embodiment, a beverage composition includes water;kava extracts, milk thistle extract and yerba mate extract.

U.S. Pat. No. 8,383,169 B1 discloses a composition comprises kava rootextract and at least one additional component of lemon balm or chamomileextract to serves as a relaxant and mind energizer that affords thebenefit of reduction in the incidence or severity of stomach upsetand/or hangover.

U.S. Pat. No. 4,921,717 discloses a process of ultra-high temperature(UHT) process for making a sterilized milk product. This method involvesa process in which milk or a milk product is partially concentrated,sterilized by UHT treatment and further concentrated to provide asterile, concentrated material for aseptic packaging.

U.S. Pat. No. 3,364,038 discloses a process and apparatus forpasteurizing and clarifying, separating and homogenizing milk. Thedisclosure includes flexibility of processing control and productdelivery and technique employed is compatible with standardhigh-temperature, short-time pasteurizing systems and increase inshelf-life for processed milk or cream.

United States Publication No. US 20080050507 A1 discloses a process forhigh-pressure processing (HPP) of foods for effective reduction ofmicrobes such as E. Coli, listeria and salmonella. This HPP techniquealso referred to as pascalization or bridgmanization or high hydrostaticpressure (HHP) which uses isostatic pressure to evenly apply greatpressures to food on all sides of the foods. The high-pressure intenselydiminishes pathogens in the food so processed, as much as a four orfive-log reduction in counts of colony forming units (CFU). Thistechnique of usage of pressure is possible in a normal environment forvaried products. In this method, food does not undergo deformation and acombination of food such as beef j erky or sausage with cheese toproduce a product which is expected to have a long shelf life.

All the methods described above involve exclusive treating of animalproducts and not the plant products. This is because of difference inproperties of animal and plant products. Kava juice and kava productsare prepared from the roots, rhizomes and stems of the kava plant. Thepersistent color in kava juice and kava products is an indication of itstexture, flavor, aroma and high quality. The precipitation of pectinsleads to muddiness or turbid formation is accountable for the propertiesof the kava juice and other kava products. Kavalactones are measured tobe the key ingredients of kava juices and other kava products andresponsible for the pharmacological activity in humans such asanti-inflammatory, anxiolytic, sedative and analgesic effects. Eighteenkavalactones have been identified out of which six are mainly importantnamely kavain (1.8%), methysticin (1.2%), desmethoxyyangoninn (1%),yangonin (1%), dihydrokavain (0.6%) and dihydromethysticin (0.5%) inkava juices and other kava products. The standard of quality can bemeasured by the presence of total number of kavalactones in kava juiceand other kava products. A qualitative form called chemotype which iscommonly stated by the comparative concentration of each of the 6 majorkavalactones in samples signifying a chemical profile of kava juices andother kava products.

The technique of pasteurization is utilized for killing pathogens andspoilage of microbes in dairy products such as milk. This procedure canalso be implemented for destroying microbes in fruit juices and plantproducts. The complex and sensitive nature of kavalactones is a greatconcern when pasteurizing kava juices and other kava products so thatthe properties such as psychoactive features and taste of kava juicesand other kava products are unaltered. This is because of the fact thatpasteurizing procedure may terminate the physiochemical, organolepticand nutritional features of kava juices and other kava products. Thekava juices and other kava products are made of highly temperaturesensitive kavalactones and starch components and pasteurization of kavajuices and other kava products may lead to degradation at temperaturesabove 60° C. On the other hand, natural, traditional and unpasteurizedkava juices and other kava products approximately possesses a shelf lifeperiod of less than three days under refrigeration at 4° C., which iscommercially unacceptable. The embodiments of the present inventionrelate to a combinatorial method for processing and preserving freshkava product and process of making it stable and commerciallyacceptable.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

In one embodiment, the present invention discloses techniques utilizingthe combinatorial method of treatments such as ultra-high temperature(UHT) pasteurization and/or sterilization, microwave volumetric heating(MVT) and pascalization [also referred to as bridgmanization orhigh-pressure processing (HPP) or high hydrostatic pressure (HHP)] forprocessing and preserving fresh kava product and process of making itstable. The present invention relates to a sterilized or similarlytreated fresh kava (piper methysticum) product and a new process forproducing shelf stable or extended shelf life kava juices and other kavaproducts.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a method for treatingfresh kava to reduce the microbial count and ensure safety of theresulting product involving ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurizationand/or sterilization, wherein temperature range comprising 135° C. (275°F.)-190° C.(375° F.), wherein cooling is with or without flash, whereintreatment process involving is with or without homogenization, whereintreatment process involving is with or without the use of processingaids or enzymes, and wherein treatment process involving is with orwithout packaging of the fresh kava product for making it stable.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a process fortreating fresh kava product to reduce the microbial count and ensuresafety of the resulting fresh kava product wherein treatment processinvolves microwave pasteurization and/or sterilization using microwavevolumetric heating (MVH) of the fresh kava product for making it stable.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a process for treatingfresh kava product to reduce the microbial count and ensure safety ofthe resulting fresh kava product wherein treatment process involves thegeneral technique known by either of the names such as pascalization orbridgmanization or high-pressure processing (HPP) or high hydrostaticpressure (HHP) of the fresh kava product for making it stable.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a process for treatingfresh kava product to reduce the microbial count and ensure safety ofthe resulting fresh kava product involving traditional pasteurizationknown as high temperature short time (HTST) wherein temperature rangecomprising 65° C. (149° F.)-190° C. (375° F.), wherein cooling is withor without flash, wherein treatment process involving is with or withouthomogenization and wherein treating process is with or without packagingof the fresh kava product for making it stable.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a process fortreating fresh kava product to reduce the microbial count and ensuresafety of the resulting fresh kava product wherein treatment processinvolves pulsed electric field (PEF) of the fresh kava product formaking it stable.

In one embodiment, the present invention provides a process for treatingfresh kava product to reduce the microbial count and ensure safety ofthe resulting fresh kava product wherein treatment process involvesnon-ionizing radiation sterilization of the fresh kava product formaking it stable.

In another embodiment, the present invention provides a process fortreating fresh kava product to reduce the microbial count and ensuresafety of the resulting fresh kava product wherein treatment processinvolves ionizing radiation sterilization of the fresh kava product formaking it stable.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE FIGURES

FIG. 1 depicts a viscoelasticity temperature sweep plot forunderstanding the microstructure of the kava product connected to theorganization of the molecules.

FIG. 2 depicts a particle size distribution plot for the calculation ofsurface weighted mean and volume weighted mean.

DETAILED DESCRIPTION OF THE INVENTION

While this specification concludes with claims particularly pointing outand distinctly claiming that, which is regarded as the invention, it isanticipated that the invention can be more readily understood throughreading the following detailed description of the invention and study ofthe included examples.

Untreated Kava root water extract was subjected to microbiologicaltesting in the current invention. This will give a clear picture forunderstanding the changes in stability and extended shelf life oftreated kava products, keeping in mind untreated products are lessstable than treated products. This less stable nature is due to presenceof microorganisms in kava juices or kava products. In the case ofunicellular microorganisms like bacteria, the entire organism isreproduced by the reproduction of the cell. Consequently, microbialgrowth is fundamentally identical with microbial reproduction. It isimportant to determine the number of bacteria i.e., enumeration ofmicroorganisms such as bacteria to understand the rates of microbialgrowth and death. It is essential to determine the number ofmicroorganisms such as bacteria in a given kava product. For example,the ability to determine the safety of kava products depends on knowingthe levels of microorganisms such as bacteria in those products. Themost common procedure for the enumeration of bacteria in a sample suchas kava product is the viable plate count. In this method, successivedilutions of a kava product containing viable microorganisms are platedonto an appropriate growth medium. The suspension is either dispersed onthe surface of agar plates referred to as spread plate method or thesuspension is mixed with molten agar followed by pouring in plates, andallowed to solidify referred to as pour plate method. The plates arethen incubated under conditions that allow microbial reproduction sothat colonies develop that can be seen without the assistance of amicroscope. It is assumed that each bacterial colony arises fromdistinct cell that has undergone cell division. Therefore, by countingthe number of colonies and accounting for the dilution factor, thenumber of bacteria in the original kava product can be determined. Theviable count is an approximation of the number of cells. Because someorganisms exist as pairs or assemblies and because mixing and shaking ofthe kava sample does not constantly separate all the cells, we reallyget a count of the colony forming units (CFU). Unicell or assembly ofcells will yield one colony, therefore recording results for a viablecount, it is routine to record the results as colony forming units perml (cfu/ml) or per gram (cfu/g) of test material. In one embodiment ofthe present invention, enumeration of aerobic bacteria was performed at35° C. and aerobic plate count was found to be 8.40×10⁶ cfu/g. Inanother embodiment of the present invention, enumeration of aerobicbacteria was performed at 35° C. using PCA Agar-P and aerobic platecount was found to be E [NZ]<100>25 000 000/g (2-5).

Ultra-high temperature (UHT) method of treatment of the kava product,i.e., UHT pasteurization, involves heating the liquid kava productcontinuously, and ensuring that each particle of the kava product hasbeen held at the predetermined ultra-high temperature for a lowestextent of time. The UHT technique can be unified into a sterilizationtechnique, in which the kava product is heated to a temperature of 275°F.-375° F. or above, and is held for a consistent holding time to ensurethat the microorganisms and their spores in the kava product aredestroyed. Then the sterilized kava product is packed aseptically andaseptically sealed. The purpose here is to allow the liquid kava productto be stored at room temperature indefinitely without spoilage due toaction of microorganisms. However, the method of ultra-highpasteurization processing may modify the flavor or necessary color ortexture of the kava product and may result in a heated or burnt flavorin the kava product. The UHT treated kava product is then subjected formicrobiological test in the current invention. In one embodiment, theanalysis of the UHT treated kava product sample is carried out at 31° C.In another embodiment of the present invention, enumeration of aerobicbacteria is performed at 35° C. and aerobic plate count is found to be100 cfu/g. In one embodiment of the present invention, enumeration ofyeasts and molds is performed at 35° C. and plate count is found to be<10 cfu/g. In another embodiment of the present invention, enumerationof aerobic bacteria was performed at 35° C. using PCA Agar-P and aerobicplate count is found to be E [NZ]<100>25 000 000/g (2-3). In oneembodiment of the present invention, enumeration of yeasts and moldswere performed at 35° C. using Agar-P and aerobic plate count is foundto be E [NZ]<10>15 000/g (1-2).

Microwave volumetric heating (MVH) treatment of kava juice or kavaproduct is conducted in the present invention for microbial degradation.The competence for rapid volumetric heating using strong but relativelylow-cost equipment can offer initial standards for simple microwaveheated reaction vessels. Microwave accelerated heating for pasteurizingthe biological products have been the subject of rigorous research anddevelopment activity but typically at a very small scale and volumelevels confined only to a bench top scale. The presently disclosedinvention provides the application of microwave heating treatment forpasteurization of kava juice or kava product. It enables the volumetricheating of the kava juice or kava product preceding or concurrently withthe treatment processing. A rapid heating is accomplished during thismicrowave volumetric heating treatment which destroys the microorganismspresent in kava juice or kava product. In some embodiment of the presentinvention, the application of microwave volumetric heating at range 460MHz to 2450 MHz is accomplished to destroy the microorganisms present inkava juice or kava product. This microwave volumetric heating forpasteurization of the kava juice or kava product is performed undercontrolled conditions using pressurized vessels such as steel vesselsemployed in continuously stirred reactors in the present invention. Inone embodiment of the present invention, low frequency of 460 MHz bymicrowave volumetric heating is accomplished to destroy the microbes inkava juice or kava product. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, frequency of 915 MHz used in industrial conditions bymicrowave volumetric heating is accomplished to destroy the microbes inkava juice or kava product. In one embodiment of the present invention,frequency of 2450 MHz used in domestic conditions by microwavevolumetric heating is accomplished to destroy the microbes in kava juiceor kava product.

Viscoelastic measurements are suitable tools for finding evidence aboutthe microstructure of the kava product connected to the organization ofthe molecules in the kava product. The presence of a broad dispersion inkava product can be represented by the viscoelasticity temperature sweepplot derived from experimental values of the dynamic moduli namely G′(storage modulus) and G″ (loss modulus). The measurements of parameterssuch as temperature, frequency, angle (delta), storage modulus (G′) andloss modulus (G″) with varied timings is shown in Table 1.

TABLE 1 Parameters for measuring Viscoelasticity of gel like kavaproduct Temper- Fre- S. Time ature quency Delta No. (min) (° C.) (Hz)(degrees) G′ (Pa) G″ (Pa) 1 0.1 30.2 1 95.73 −0.01314 0.131 2 1 30.9 1147.4 −0.04606 0.02944 3 2 32 1 135.7 −0.05828 0.05693 4 3 33 1 173.6−0.04603 5.13E−03 5 3.9 33.9 1 149.1 −0.04593 0.02748 6 5 35 1 163−0.0375 0.01149 7 5.9 35.9 1 175.4 −0.04584 3.71E−03 8 7 37 1 93.2−2.88E−03 0.05149 9 7.9 37.9 1 152.8 −0.02767 0.01421 10 9 39 1 118.8−0.0104 0.0189 11 9.9 39.9 1 145.4 −0.04667 0.0322 12 11 41 1 125.6−0.02737 0.03824 13 11.9 41.9 1 127 −0.01777 0.0236 14 13 42.9 1 122.2−0.01737 0.02761 15 13.9 43.9 1 155.3 −0.02857 0.01315 16 15 45 1 172.7−0.06386 8.19E−03 17 15.9 45.9 1 100.4 −4.01E−03 0.02189 18 17 47 193.78 −1.02E−03 0.01551 19 17.9 47.9 1 84.01   3.28E−03 0.03126 20 19 491 69.37 0.01288 0.03421 21 20 49.9 1 66.46 0.01354 0.03108 22 21 51 153.14 0.02177 0.02904 23 22 52 1 57.36 0.01993 0.03111 24 22.9 52.9 136.44 0.03419 0.02524 25 24 54 1 18.17 0.02992 9.82E−03 26 24.9 54.9 161.87 0.03167 0.05925 27 26 56 1 32.21 0.04995 0.03146 28 26.9 56.9 123.51 0.06635 0.02887 29 28 58 1 45.25 0.05008 0.05051 30 28.9 58.9 118.37 0.08916 0.02961 31 30 60 1 21.5 0.08829 0.03477 32 30.9 61 1 31.30.0917 0.05575 33 32 62 1 21.58 0.119 0.04706 34 32.9 62.9 1 5.1420.1502 0.01352 35 34 64 1 17.52 0.199 0.0628 36 34.9 64.9 1 11.44 0.24970.05053 37 36 66 1 16.67 0.3186 0.09541 38 36.9 66.9 1 15.97 0.61290.1754 39 38 67.9 1 16.53 1.724 0.5118 40 38.9 69 1 16.28 6.044 1.765 4140 70 1 13.1 16.26 3.785 42 40.9 70.9 1 10.54 29.48 5.484 43 42 72 19.182 46.69 7.548 44 42.9 73 1 8.668 63.07 9.615 45 44 74 1 8.371 82.0912.08 46 44.9 74.9 1 7.915 100.1 13.92 47 46 76 1 8.177 119.6 17.19 4846.9 76.9 1 8.083 137.5 19.53 49 48 78 1 8.252 157 22.77 50 48.9 78.9 18.527 173.7 26.04 51 50 79.9 1 8.51 191.8 28.69 52 50.9 80.9 1 9.149204.9 33 53 52 82 1 9.464 220 36.67 54 52.9 83 1 10.29 231.2 41.97 55 5484 1 10.82 242 46.25 56 54.9 84.9 1 10.92 253.5 48.92 57 56 86 1 11.67261.9 54.1 58 57 87 1 12.44 267.1 58.94 59 58 88 1 13.21 271.6 63.74 6059 89 1 13.99 272.5 67.92 61 60 90 1 14.82 272.3 72.03 62 60.9 91 115.69 268.3 75.35 63 62 92 1 16.65 262.9 78.59 64 63 92.9 1 17.02 260.879.83 65 64 94 1 18.35 250.4 83.05 66 65 95 1 19.73 238.9 85.7

The objective of the present invention is to determine the viscoelasticbehavior of a gel like treated kava product by plotting G′ (storagemodulus) and G″ (loss modulus) measured in Pascal (Pa) units versustemperature measured in celsius (° C.) units. The plot thus obtainedcalled as viscoelasticity temperature sweep plot is shown in FIG. 1.From the plot, it is clear that when temperature reaches 69° C. adrastic increase in storage modulus G′ and loss modulus G″ can beobserved from FIG. 1. From 70° C. onwards there is a steady increase inG′ up to 89° C. can be noticed from the plot shown in FIG. 1. Once thetemperature reaches 90° C. the value of G′ starts decreasing andcontinues to decrease gradually up to 95° C. can be seen from the plotshown in FIG. 1 but to a less extent. This indicates that the viscosityof the gel like kava product is high below 69° C. and started todecrease with increase in temperature. At low temperature, in kavaproduct, due to high viscosity molecules are very close to each otherand molecular collisions are less. When the temperature increases,molecules will be activated and involves in collisions to a greaterextent. This is because rate of molecular collisions increases withincrease in temperature. This decreases the viscosity of the gel likekava product. For storage modulus (G′), this decrease in viscosityextends up to 89° C. After 89° C. the viscosity again slightly increasesup to 95° C. but to a less extent. On the other hand, after 70° C. thereis a steady increase in loss modulus (G″) can be seen up to 95° C. fromFIG. 1. This observation also shows that viscosity is high below 69° C.and gradually increases up to 95° C. In one of the embodiments of thepresent invention, the viscosity of the gel like kava product is high atlower temperature preferably below 69° C. In another embodiment of thepresent invention, the viscosity of the gel like kava product is low athigher temperature preferably above 69° C. In one of the embodiments ofthe present invention, the storage modulus G′ of the gel like kavaproduct is low at lower temperature preferably below 69° C. In one ofthe embodiments of the present invention, the storage modulus G′ of thegel like kava product is high at higher temperature preferably above 69°C. In one of the embodiments of the present invention, the storagemodulus G′ of the gel like kava product is low at higher temperaturepreferably above 90° C. In one of the embodiments of the presentinvention, the loss modulus G″ of the gel like kava product is low atlower temperature preferably below 69° C. In one of the embodiments ofthe present invention, the storage modulus G″ of the gel like kavaproduct is high at higher temperature preferably above 69° C.

Measurement of particle size of kava product and understanding how itaffects the products and processes were analyzed in the presentinvention. This analysis is carried out because of its importance inunderstanding the physical property of particulate samples related toparticle size of the kava product. Particle size measurement is acritical parameter in the preparation of kava products. Variousproperties of kava products such as reactivity, stability, efficacy,texture, appearance, flowability, viscosity, packing density andporosity, were influenced by particle size of the kava product. Theessential parameters such as volume and particle size of the treatedkava product is shown in Table 2. Static light scattering procedureslike laser diffraction will give a volume weighted distribution. Herethe influence of each particle of the kava juice and other kava productsin the distribution relates to the volume of that particle in the kavajuice or kava product which is equivalent to mass if the density isuniform as well as relative contribution will be proportional to cube ofthe particle size [(size)³] of the kava juice or kava products. This isreally useful from a commercial viewpoint as the distribution signifiesthe composition of the kava juice and other kava products in terms ofits volume or mass, and consequently its potential worth. Various valuesof volume and particle size of the kava juice sample were plottedagainst each other to form a particle size distribution plot as shown inFIG. 2. This is an example of normal distribution curve. The volumemoment mean, also referred to as De Brouckere Mean Diameter, which isapplicable for kava juice and other kava food samples as it mirrors thesize of those particles which constitute the bulk of the sample volume.It is more sensitive to the existence of large particulates indetermining the size distribution. It is very clear from Table 2 thatwhen the particle size is 1.233 μm the volume of the kava juice sampleis 0.13%. This gradually increases and pass through a maximum whenparticle size is 12.328 μm corresponding to volume 11.39%. Furtherincrease in particle size gradually decreases the volume of the kavajuice sample as shown in distribution curve which starts from 10.90%corresponding to particle size 15.199 μm. This decrease in volume goesup to 1.91% for which size of the particle is 43.288 μm. Again, volumeof the kava sample increases from 53.307 μm corresponding to 2.26% ofvolume. This increase in volume reaches a maximum value of 3.16%corresponding to particle size 123.285 μm. The volume drops once againfrom 2.26% for which particle size is 151.991 μm up to 0.14%corresponding to 811.131 μm. It can be noted from the FIG. 2 that belowthe particle size of 1.233 μm and above 811.131 μm, the kava sample has0.00% volume. From the FIG. 2, it is clear that there are two maximaobserved in the plot of volume in percent versus particle size. Thesurface area mean which is referred to as Sauter Mean Diameter is one ofthe most appropriate way where specific surface area is significant suchas bioavailability, reactivity and dissolution for the kava juice samplein the present invention. It is also most sensitive to the existence offine particulates in the size distribution of the kava juice or kavaproduct. In one of the embodiments of the present invention, kava juiceexamined as average sample with particle size ranging from 0.020 to2000.0 μm is analyzed in which weighted residual is 0.689% andconcentration of the kava juice is 0.0174% with specific surface area of0.57 m²/g and surface weighted mean D[3,2] is observed at an average ofparticle size 11.380 μm. In another embodiment of the present invention,kava juice examined as average sample with particle size ranging from0.020 to 2000.0 μm is analyzed in which weighted residual is 0.689% andconcentration of the kava juice is 0.0174% and volume weighted meanD[4,3] is observed at an average of particle size 31.962 μm.

TABLE 2 Parameters for the Particle Size Distribution Plot S. No. Size(μm) Volume in % 1 0.010 0.00 2 0.012 0.00 3 0.015 0.00 4 0.019 0.00 50.023 0.00 6 0.028 0.00 7 0.035 0.00 8 0.043 0.00 9 0.053 0.00 10 0.0660.00 11 0.081 0.00 12 0.100 0.00 13 0.123 0.00 14 0.152 0.00 15 0.1870.00 16 0.231 0.00 17 0.285 0.00 18 0.351 0.00 19 0.433 0.00 20 0.5340.00 21 0.658 0.00 22 0.811 0.00 23 1.000 0.00 24 1.233 0.13 25 1.5200.23 26 1.874 0.24 27 2.310 0.22 28 2.848 0.34 29 3.511 0.85 30 4.3291.99 31 5.337 3.79 32 6.579 6.08 33 8.111 8.51 34 10.000 10.48 35 12.32811.39 36 15.199 10.90 37 18.738 9.11 38 23.101 6.57 39 28.480 4.13 4035.112 2.47 41 43.288 1.91 42 53.367 2.26 43 65.793 3.02 44 81.113 3.6245 100.000 3.69 46 123.285 3.16 47 151.991 2.25 48 187.382 1.31 49231.013 0.61 50 284.804 0.25 51 351.119 0.16 52 432.876 0.20 53 533.6700.14 54 657.933 0.00 55 811.131 0.14 56 1000.000 0.00 57 1232.847 0.0058 1519.911 0.00 59 1873.817 0.00 60 2310.130 0.00 61 2848.036 0.00 623511.192 0.00 63 4328.761 0.00 64 5336.699 0.00 65 6579.332 0.00 668111.308 0.00 67 10000.000 0.00

In one embodiment of the present invention, a technique for deactivatingmicrobes of untreated kava juice or kava product using high-pressureprocessing (HPP) comprising the steps of: (i) heating of untreated kavajuice or kava product to a pre-pressurized temperature, (ii) placing thekava juice or kava product in a pressure vessel, (iii) exposing the kavajuice or kava product to a pressure at a pressurized temperature for atime period in the existence of a transmitting pressure fluid, (iv)decreasing the pressure in the vessel after the period of time and (v)removal of HPP treated kava juice or kava product from the pressurevessel. The steps (iii) and (iv) mentioned above may be repeated atleast once before step (v) is accomplished. The time period and pressurebeing modifiable between repetitions of steps (iii) and (iv) mentionedin the process. This embodiment may further comprise an extra stepbefore step (ii) of exposing the kava juice or kava product to a presetamount of oxygen for a period of time. The kava juice or kava product isheated to a pre-pressurized temperature using preferably a preheatedoven. The pre-pressurized temperature is preferably 90° C. The drying iscontinued in the preheated oven until the moisture content of theindividual particles or granules are concentrated to 11 to 13 percent byweight. Preferably water is used as the transmitting pressure fluid inthe pressure vessel. The pressure in the pressure vessel is preferablybetween 400 MPa to 1000 MPa, and preferably able to be increased ordecreased incrementally. The pressurized temperature is preferably 238°C. in this process. During the high-pressure processing (HPP), thepressure has an unvarying consequence on the total pre-packaged kavajuice or kava product. The flexibility of the product containercontaining kava juice or kava product permits it to compensate forexternal pressure via a decrease in volume. Hence, flexible containersare desirable for high-pressure processing (HPP) of kava juice or kavaproduct in the present invention.

During the high-pressure processing (HPP), it is preferable to pre-packthe kava juice or kava product in a flexible container or pouch. Anothervariation of the HPP process would be to apply the HPP process tonon-heated and even frozen product. (i.e., the ingredients do notnecessarily need to be pre-heated).

In one embodiment, the HPP treated kava juice or kava product is checkedfor aerobic mesophilic plate count for the enumeration of bacteria inthe present invention. In another embodiment, the HPP treated kava juiceor kava product is checked for enumeration of yeasts and molds in thepresent invention. In one embodiment of the present invention, theresult of aerobic mesophilic plate count for the enumeration of bacteriaof HPP treated kava product is found to be 8000 cfu/g for the HPPtreated kava product measured at pressure of 450 MPa. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, the result of aerobic mesophilicplate count for the enumeration of bacteria of HPP treated kava productis found to be 5500 cfu/g for the HPP treated kava product measured atpressure of 600 MPa. In one embodiment of the present invention, theenumeration of yeasts is found to be <10 cfu/g for HPP treated kava atthe pressure of 450 MPa. In another embodiment of the present invention,the enumeration of yeasts in this analysis is found to be <10 cfu/g forHPP treated kava at the pressure of 600 MPa. In one embodiment of thepresent invention, the enumeration of molds is found to be <10 cfu/g forHPP treated kava at the pressure of 450 MPa. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, the enumeration of molds is found to be <10 cfu/gfor HPP treated kava at the pressure of 600 MPa.

In one embodiment of the present invention, a technique for deactivatinginfectious agents, like viruses and virus type agents, from fluids, likebody fluids, such as blood plasma, is by using high temperature shorttime (HTST) of heat sensitive untreated kava juice or kava product isperformed. In this HTST technique, speedy heating of the heat sensitivekava juice or kava product so as to effect heating, such assterilization or pasteurization, without eradicating or markedlyshifting the biological action, flavor or other necessary features ofthe heat sensitive kava juice or kava product. In this HTST technique,destroying of particular microorganisms in kava juice or kava productcan be achieved. In one embodiment of the present invention, kava juiceis sterilized at a sterilization temperature of 134° C. (274° F.), or apasteurization temperature at 65° C. (149° F.) to 134° C. (274° F.) byhigh temperature short time (HTST) method. In another embodiment,holding the heated kava juice at the temperature either sterilization orpasteurization for a selected holding time period of about 0.1 secondsis performed to affect the destruction of the desired microorganisms inthe present invention. In one embodiment of the present invention,heated kava juice is allowed to rapid cooling, below 65° C. (149° F.)such as 5° C. (41° F.) to 25° C. (77° F.) in the HTST technique. In oneembodiment, HTST treatment of kava juice or kava product involvescooling the kava juice or kava product with or without flash cooling inthe present invention. In another embodiment of the present invention,HTST treatment of kava juice or kava product in which the processconsidered can be with or without homogenization of the kava juice orkava product. In one embodiment of the present invention, HTST treatmentof kava juice or kava product can be with or without aseptic packaging.In another embodiment of the present invention, HTST treatment of kavajuice or kava product involves circulation of heat sensitive kava juiceor kava product during the heating, cooling and holding time periods.

The present invention additionally offers a technique of bringing apulsed electric field (PEF) in an untreated kava juice or untreated kavaproduct in liquified form for the deactivation of bacterial spores. Thetechnique comprises the stages of pumping the untreated kava juice oruntreated kava product in liquified form through a treating equipment soas to create a kava juice or kava liquid product movement in thetreating equipment, creating a plurality of pulsed electric fields(PEFs), and bringing the plurality of pulsed electric fields in the kavajuice or kava product in liquified form wherein the brought pulsedelectric field (PEF) vector pathway is parallel to the movement of kavajuice or kava product in liquified form. Moreover, the stage of creatinga plurality of pulsed electric fields (PEFs) comprises the stage ofcreating a pulsed electric field (PEF) with a frequency range of 400 Hzto 20 kHz and an electric field range of 14 kV/cm to 160 kV/cm.Preferably 45 kV/cm field strength is employed for the treatment in thepresent invention. The technique additionally comprises the stage ofcontrolling the kava juice or kava product in liquified form temperaturein the range of 35° C. to 40° C. or below 40° C. Moreover, the stage ofcreating a pulsed electric field (PEF) comprises a stage of creating apulsed electric field with a pulse length of 1 to 20 micro seconds.Preferably 3 micro seconds is employed for the treatment of kava juiceor kava product in the present invention. The pulsed electric field(PEF) procedure uses an electric field voltage applied across twoelectrodes where a kava juice or kava food product in liquified formexists between the electrodes. Because kava juice or kava liquifiedproducts are principally comprising of kava lactones, water andnutrients, a consistent electric field is brought in the kava juice orkava product in liquified form. A bactericidal effect, generally calledthe dielectric rupture (based on Dielectric Rupture Theory), arises dueto this transported electric field in the kava juice or kava product inliquified form. From the Dielectric Rupture Theory, it can be observedthat pulsed electric field (PEF) treatment decreases the activity ofbacteria and other microorganisms by destroying the bacterial ormicroorganism cell structure in kava juice or kava food product inliquified form. The applied electric field brings an electric potentialacross the membrane of a living cell present in bacteria ormicroorganisms present in kava juice or kava product in liquified form.This would create an electrostatic partition of charges in the cellmembrane of the bacteria and microorganisms of kava juice or kavaproduct in liquified form. This leads to pore establishment in weakzones of the cell membrane of bacteria or microorganisms in kava juiceor kava product in liquified form. The pore establishment and destroyingof cell membrane have a fatal consequence on the bacteria ormicroorganisms in kava juice or kava product in liquified form. It isexpected that processing of kava juice in this PEF treatment woulddecrease the microbes considerably and enhance the shelf life of kavajuice. In one embodiment, 45 kV/cm field strength having a pulseduration of 3 micro seconds was applied to effect 4 positive and 4negative pulses per second of untreated kava juice of the presentinvention. In another embodiment of the present invention, this PEFtreatment involves a total of 35 positive and 35 negative pulses. In oneembodiment of the present invention, the PEF treatment involves heatingat 35° C. to 40° C. or below 40° C. during the processing of kava juice.In another embodiment, the cold-water circulation was maintained tocontrol the temperature of the heating process and water circulation inthis example is performed at 10° C. to 15° C. in the present invention.

Microwave radiation as a source of non-ionizing electromagneticradiation has been used in non-ionization radiation sterilizationtechnique to heat kava juice or kava product for destroying microbes toafford extended shelf life in the present invention, thus permittingessential preparation of kava products for distribution. It is expectedthat this non-ionization treatment using microwave irradiation wouldreduce microbes reasonably and extend the shelf life of kava juice orkava product. In one of the embodiments, a technique may compriseproviding a closed container which comprises a free-flowing kava juiceor kava product inclined within this container. Also, this techniqueinvolves conveying the closed container through a non-ionizingelectromagnetic radiation apparatus during a conveying time period. Thetechnique comprises transmitting microwave radiation from thenon-ionizing electromagnetic radiation apparatus to the free-flowingkava juice or kava product to achieve a sterilization temperature duringa transmitting time period. During the non-ionizing radiationsterilization treatment of kava juice or kava product, at least aportion of the transmitting time period overlaps with at least a portionof the conveying time period. The technique comprises manipulating theclosed container during a manipulating time period to achievesterilization of the entirety of the kava juice or kava product withinthe closed container and the whole of interior surfaces of the closedcontainer. Again, during this process at least a portion of themanipulating time period overlaps with at least a portion of thetransmitting time period. In one embodiment of the present invention,the technique may comprise providing a closed container which comprisesa free-flowing kava juice or kava product inclined within it. In anotherembodiment of the present invention, the container comprises a base andthe closed container is placed vertically upright on the container base,and the closed container is subjected to microwave radiation as thesource of non-ionizing electromagnetic radiation adequate to attainsterilization temperature. In one embodiment of the present invention,the technique may comprise exposing the closed container to an inversionsequence which comprises a first inversion of the container until thecontainer base is located at an angle of up to about 180 degreesrelative to vertical orientation. In another embodiment of the presentinvention, the first inversion occurs over a time period of at leastthree seconds, and wherein the inversion sequence allows for sterilizingof interior surfaces of the container. In one of the embodiments of thepresent invention, untreated kava juice is subjected to non-ionizingradiation sterilization treatment using microwave irradiation, afterbeing placed in a bottle and the bottle capped. In another embodiment ofthe present invention, the microwave irradiation was performed about 50to 60 seconds and the raise in temperature of the come-up zone is about78° C. to 80° C. of the system and the capped kava juice was maintainedat a target temperature of about 78° C. to 80° C. for about 1 to 2minutes. The bottle containing the kava juice or kava product were thenallowed to cool at 25° C.

Irradiation by ionization radiation sterilization technique is used toreduce or eliminate the risk of food-borne illnesses, prevent or slowdown spoilage, arrest maturation or sprouting and as a treatment againstpests in the kava product. Depending on the dose, some or all of thepathogenic organisms, microorganisms, bacteria, and viruses present aredestroyed, slowed down, or rendered incapable of reproduction. Whentargeting bacteria, most foods are irradiated to significantly reducethe number of active microbes, not to sterilize all microbes in theproduct. In this respect it is similar to pasteurization. Irradiation isused in this embodiment to create shelf-stable kava products. Theradiation source supplies energetic particles or waves. As thesewaves/particles pass through the target material they collide with otherparticles. Around the sites of these collisions chemical bonds arebroken, creating short lived radicals (e.g. the hydroxyl radical, thehydrogen atom and solvated electrons). These radicals cause furtherchemical changes by bonding with and or stripping particles from nearbymolecules. When collisions damage DNA or RNA, effective reproductionbecomes unlikely, also when collisions occur in cells, cell division isoften suppressed. For purposes of legislation doses are divided into low(up to 1 kGy), medium (1 kGy to 10 kGy), and high-dose applications(above 10 kGy). High-dose applications are above those currentlypermitted in the US for commercial food items by the FDA and otherregulators around the world. Though these doses are approved fornon-commercial applications, such as sterilizing frozen meat for NASAastronauts (doses of 44 kGy) and food for hospital patients.

Sterilization of kava juice or kava product by high energy ionizingradiation offers substantial capacity as a substitute to theconventional use of thermal energy for such fortitudes. It is expectedthat this ionization treatment would reduce considerably the microbesand improve the shelf life of kava juice. In radiation sterilizationtechnique, sterilization is performed under cold condition in which thetemperature of the kava juice or kava product is not augmented to anymomentous degree. But thermal sterilization needs that the temperatureof the kava juice or kava product be elevated to a level which willdeactivate all microbes present or likely to be present and inherentlyresults in a product which displays those features found in adesperately over-cooked item, such as, loss of texture, flavor, color,vitamins, etc. To be able to sterilize kava juice or kava productswithout adversely affecting the properties of such kava products, asinherently results from thermal sterilization, is presently the goal ofthe present invention by using ionizing radiation. In order to stabilizekava juice or kava product for long term storage at feasibletemperatures, it is necessary to deactivate or destroy the enzymes andmicroorganisms normally present in kava juices or kava products. Theprocess of enzyme deactivation is conventionally completed by raisingthe temperature of the kava juice or kava product until the enzymeproteins are denatured. The temperature required to deactivate enzymesis significantly below that required to deactivate some of thepotentially harmful microorganisms present in the kava juice or kavaproduct. When the kava juice or kava product is to be sterilized byionizing radiation, such sterilization normally follows the thermaldeactivation of the enzymes. The precooked radiation sterilized kavajuice or kava product of this invention is produced by uniformly mixingat a temperature within the range of 145° F. to 175° F. This temperaturerange is also adequate to deactivate enzymes present in kava juice orkava product. The cooked kava juice or kava product is inserted within agas-tight container and closed in the absence of oxygen. Afterpackaging, the kava juice or kava product is then exposed to a dose ofhigh energy ionizing radiation sufficient to eradicate all potentiallyharmful microorganisms that may be present. Irradiation of the kavajuice or kava product designated in this technique was done by exposingthe kava juice or kava product to γ-radiation emitted from a 900,000curie Cobalt 60 source. The physical arrangement of the electromagneticradiation source comprised of a pair of spaced apart parallel plaqueswhich contained the radio isotope Co-60. The kava juice or kava productto be treated are positioned within stacked aluminum canisters andcarried by conveyor between the plaques for a period of time essentialto reach the anticipated dosage level. In one embodiment of theinvention, without precooking, the untreated kava juice or kava productafter packaging is exposed to high energy ionizing radiation to destroyall potentially harmful microorganisms that may be present. In oneembodiment of the present invention untreated kava juice or kava productis canned and irradiated with γ-rays from Co-60 source at −30° C. to−40° C. and received a dose in the range of 3.5-6.5 megarads followed bycooling to room temperature of 25° C.

Example 1

Aerobic mesophilic plate count for the enumeration of bacteria isanalyzed in the present invention to determine the microbial counts forquality assessment of untreated kava root water extract. In the firststep untreated kava root water extract homogenate is prepared by mixingthe untreated kava root water extract with diluent peptone water (0.1%)in the ratio 1:10. The particulates of the untreated kava root waterextract is allowed to settle for 2-3 minutes and then diluent containingthe minimum particles of kava root extract is drawn for furtheranalysis. The decimal solutions of drawn solution containing minimumparticles of kava root extract were made by shaking each dilution 25times in 30 cm arc. For each dilution new sterile pipette was employedin the analysis. This dilution is done by pipetting out 1 mL ofuntreated kava root extract homogenate into a tube containing 9 mL ofthe diluent peptone water. Four such dilution tubes are made in thisanalysis. Next step is pour plating in which labeled petri plates inwhich 1 mL of kava root extract homogenate and of such dilutions whichhave been selected for plating into a petri dish in duplicate ispipetted out and transferred. 10 mL of plate count agar (PCA) is pouredwithin 15 minutes from the time of preparation of the original solution.Then mixing of media and dilutions is performed by swirling gentlyclockwise, anticlockwise, to and fro thrice and care has been taken forthe contents not touching the lid and allowed to set. Next step involvesincubation in which the prepared dishes are incubated and inverted at35° C. for 48 hours. The final step of this analysis involves thecounting of colonies of the incubated dishes and results are recordedper dilution counted. The result of aerobic mesophilic plate count forthe enumeration of bacteria in untreated kava root water extract in thisanalysis is found to be 8.40×10⁶ cfu/g. [Compendium of Methods for theMicrobiological Examination of Foods (CMMEF, Chapter 8.72, APHA, 5^(th)Edition, 2015) is the reference used to perform this analysis].

Example 2

In this example, untreated kava product is subjected to ultra-hightemperature (UHT) pasteurization and analysis is carried out forenumeration of aerobic bacteria as well as yeasts and molds for the UHTtreated kava product. Up to 10% untreated kava root water extract issubjected to uninterruptedly run through a Tetra Pak VTIS direct steaminjection ultra-high temperature (UHT) pasteurization system that uses aprewarming step of about 135° C. (275° F.) for about 36 seconds and thenheat the sample to a temperature range of from about 135° C. (275° F.)to 190° C. (375° F.) for about 5 seconds. In this example, theultra-pasteurizing temperature is about 375° F. The UHT treated kavaproduct is then sent to a chilling condenser, which cools the UHTtreated kava product to a temperature of from about 27° C. (80° F.) to32° C. (90° F.) within 5 seconds. This cooling is with or without flashin this experiment. The UHT treated kava product is then run through ahigh-pressure homogenizer preferably at about 3000 to 5000 psi, or aslow as 2000 psi. This process of the kava product includes with orwithout homogenization. Then the UHT treated kava product is kept at areception temperature of 3.1° C. for 6 days and sent to an aseptic bagfiller machine which sterilizes the bag with steam before it is filledwith the sterilized UHT treated kava product. This packaging of the UHTtreated kava product can be with or without aseptic packaging in thepresent invention.

The final UHT treated kava product is checked for aerobic mesophilicplate count for the enumeration of bacteria as well as enumeration ofyeasts and molds in the present invention. Aerobic mesophilic platecount for the enumeration of bacteria is analyzed in the presentinvention to determine the microbial counts for quality assessment ofUHT treated kava product. In the first step UHT treated kava producthomogenate is prepared by mixing the UHT treated kava product withdiluent peptone water (0.1%) in the ratio 1:10. The particulates of theUHT treated kava product is allowed to settle for 2-3 minutes and thendiluent containing the minimum particles of UHT treated kava product isdrawn for further analysis. The decimal solutions of drawn solutioncontaining minimum particles of UHT treated kava product were made byshaking each dilution 25 times in 30 cm arc. For each dilution newsterile pipette was employed in this analysis. This dilution is done bypipetting out 1 mL of UHT treated kava product homogenate into a tubecontaining 9 mL of the diluent peptone water. Four such dilution tubesare made in this analysis. Next step is pour plating in which labeledpetri plates in which 1 mL of UHT treated kava product homogenate and ofsuch dilutions which have been selected for plating into a petri dish induplicate is pipetted out and transferred. 10 mL of plate count agar(PCA) is poured within 15 minutes from the time of preparation of theoriginal solution. Then mixing of media and dilutions is performed byswirling gently clockwise, anticlockwise and care has been taken for thecontents not touching the lid and contents were allowed to set. Nextstep involves incubation in which the prepared dishes are incubated andinverted at 35° C. for 48 hours. The final step of this analysisinvolves the counting of colonies of the incubated dishes and resultsare recorded per dilution counted. The result of aerobic mesophilicplate count for the enumeration of bacteria in UHT treated kava productin this analysis is found to be <100 cfu/g. [Compendium of Methods forthe Microbiological Examination of Foods (CMMEF, Chapter 8.72, APHA,5^(th) Edition, 2015) is the reference used to perform this analysis].

Analysis for the enumeration of yeasts and molds is performed in thepresent invention to determine the microbial counts for qualityassessment of UHT treated kava product. Inoculation of 0.1 mL ofappropriate decimal dilutions of the UHT treated kava product induplicate onto the surface of dichloran rose bengal chloramphenicol(DRBC) agar was performed in the first step of the analysis. The platesused were dried overnight at room temperature. The process of spreadingthe inoculum over the entire surface of the plate using a sterile,bent-glass rod was performed followed by incubation of plates upright at25° C. The growth of yeasts and molds were examined after 3-, 4- and5-days incubation. Predictable results for the formation of colonies ofmolds and yeasts were apparent within 5 days of incubation. The coloniesof yeast and molds appear in pink color due to the uptake of rose bengalfrom DRBC agar. The enumeration of yeasts and molds in this analysis forthe UHT treated kava product is found to be <10 cfu/g. [Compendium ofMethods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods (CMMEF, Chapter21.51, APHA, 5^(th) Edition, 2015) is the reference used to perform thisanalysis].

The UHT treated kava product of example 2, after dilution with water atthe mix proportions, when tested for sensory features by consumers, allfulfil the necessities of a fresh kava product. The UHT treated kavaproduct does not display any visible separation or coagulation or changein color. The aroma and taste of fresh kava product satisfied thecriteria without the negative attributes of features such as cooked,scorched, burnt, etc. Additionally, the UHT treated kava product has thetexture and mouth sense of fresh kava without the imperfections for kavaproduct which may be described as coagulated, thin, moist, turbid,gritty or divided.

Example 3

In this example, untreated kava juice or untreated kava product kept ina pressurized steel vessel is subjected to microwave volumetric heatingat 460 MHz to 2450 MHz in a microwave reactor. The heating was performeduniformly throughout the cylindrical vessel around the circumference ofthe cylinder and the kava juice or kava product is flowing under a plugflow regime. After exposing to microwave heating at frequency of 460 MHzthe kava juice or kava product is allowed to cool at 25° C. On thesimilar ground, after exposing to microwave heating at frequency of 915MHz, the kava juice or kava product is allowed to cool at 25° C. Anotherexperiment is performed by exposing kava juice or kava product tomicrowave heating at frequency of 2450 MHz and the content is allowed tocool at 25° C. It is expected that this microwave volumetric heatingtreatment would reduce considerably the microbes and improve the shelflife of kava juice.

Example 4

In this example, untreated kava is cooked at about 238° C. (460° F.)while being exposed to high-pressures. Untreated kava is cooked forabout 2-4 seconds and then pounded to a particle size of about 0.045 to0.050 inches. This pounded untreated kava is agglomerated by adding 120mL of water during the process of agglomeration. The formed particles orgranules of wet concoction are allowed to dry using an oven preheated attemperature of 90° C. The drying is continued until the moisture contentof the individual particles or granules are concentrated to 11 to 13percent by weight. The dried untreated kava particles or granules werethen placed between the hydraulically operated plates where they wereexposed to a pressure of 450 MPa (65267 psi) and heated to a temperatureof 238° C. (460° F.) for about 1 to 2 seconds. The pressure was speedilyreleased so that the resulting HPP treated kava became puffed and theindividual particles or granules form a sheet like structure with mosaiclike appearance. The dried untreated kava or particles granules inanother analysis were placed between the hydraulically operated plateswhere they were exposed to a pressure of 600 MPa (87022.6 psi) andheated to a temperature of 238° C. (460° F.) for about 1 to 2 seconds.The pressure was quickly released so that the resulting HPP treated kavabecame puffed and the individual particles form a sheet like structurewith mosaic like appearance.

The above HPP treated kava product is checked for aerobic mesophilicplate count for the enumeration of bacteria as well as enumeration ofyeasts and molds in the present invention. Aerobic mesophilic platecount for the enumeration of bacteria is analyzed in the presentinvention to determine the microbial counts for quality assessment ofHPP treated kava product. In the first step HPP treated kava producthomogenate is prepared by mixing the HPP treated kava product withdiluent peptone water (0.1%) in the ratio 1:10. The particulates of theHPP treated kava product is allowed to settle for 2-3 minutes and thendiluent containing the minimum particles of HPP treated kava product isdrawn for further analysis. The decimal solutions of drawn solutioncontaining minimum particles of HPP treated kava product were made byshaking each dilution 25 times in 30 cm arc. For each dilution newsterile pipette was employed in the analysis. This dilution is done bypipetting out 1 mL of HPP treated kava product homogenate into a tubecontaining 9 mL of the diluent peptone water. Four such dilution tubesare made in this analysis. Next step is plating in which labeled petriplates in which 1 mL of HPP treated kava product homogenate and of suchdilutions which have been selected for plating into a petri dish induplicate is pipetted out and transferred. 10 mL of plate count agar(PCA) is poured within 15 minutes from the time of preparation of theoriginal solution. Then mixing of media and dilutions is performed byswirling gently clockwise, anticlockwise and care has been taken for thecontents not touching the lid and contents were allowed to set. Nextstep involves incubation in which the prepared dishes are incubated andinverted at 35° C. for 48 hours. The final step of this analysisinvolves the counting of colonies of the incubated dishes and resultsare recorded per dilution counted. The result of aerobic mesophilicplate count for the enumeration of bacteria in HPP treated kava productin this analysis is found to be 8000 cfu/g for the HPP treated kavaproduct measured at pressure of 450 MPa and 5500 cfu/g for the HPPtreated kava product measured at pressure of 600 MPa. [Compendium ofMethods for the Microbiological Examination of Foods (CMMEF, Chapter8.72, APHA, 5^(th) Edition, 2015) is the reference used to perform thisanalysis].

Analysis for the enumeration of yeasts and molds is performed in thepresent invention to determine the microbial counts for qualityassessment of HPP treated kava product. Inoculation of 0.1 mL ofappropriate decimal dilutions of the HPP treated kava product induplicate onto the surface of dichloran rose bengal chloramphenicol(DRBC) agar is performed in the first step of the analysis. The platesused were allowed to dry overnight at room temperature. The process ofspreading the inoculum over the entire surface of the plate using asterile, bent-glass rod is performed followed by incubation of platesupright at 25° C. The growth of yeasts and molds were examined after 3-,4- and 5-days of incubation. Predictable outcomes for the formation ofcolonies of molds and yeasts were apparent within 5 days of incubation.The colonies of yeast and molds appear in pink color due to the uptakeof rose bengal from DRBC agar. The enumeration of yeasts in thisanalysis is found to be <10 cfu/g for HPP treated kava at the pressureof 450 MPa as well as 600 MPa. The enumeration of molds in this analysisis found to be <10 cfu/g for HPP treated kava at the pressure of 450 MPaas well as 600 MPa. [Compendium of Methods for the MicrobiologicalExamination of Foods (CMMEF, Chapter 21.51, APHA, 5^(th) Edition, 2015)is the reference used to perform this analysis].

Example 5

Particle sizes in the UHT treated kava juice were measured using amethod utilizing Malvern Mastersizer instrument with water as thecontinuous phase using the 45 mm lens and the sample weighted was0.689%. Ultrasound was applied to the Mastersizer tank for one minutebefore the measurement of the UHT treated kava juice underinvestigation. The surface weighted mean D[3,2] was calculated for UHTtreated kava juice and the result is found to be 11.380 μm. The volumeweighted mean D[4,3] was calculated for UHT treated kava juice and theresult is found to be 31.962 μm for concentration of 0.0174% Vol.

Example 6

In this example, kava juice is sterilized at a sterilization temperatureof 134° C. (274° F.), or a pasteurization temperature at 65° C. (149°F.) to 134° C. (274° F.) by high temperature short time (HTST) method.This method involves holding the heated kava juice at the temperatureeither sterilization or pasteurization for a selected holding timeperiod of about 0.1 to 0.2 seconds to affect the destruction of thedesired microorganisms. Then the heated kava juice is allowed to rapidcooling, for example, below 65° C. (149° F.) such as 5° C. (41° F.) to25° C. (77° F.). This treatment includes with or without flash cooling,with or without homogenization and with or without aseptic packaging ofthe kava juice. In this example, heat sensitive kava juice is circulatedduring the heating, cooling and holding time periods.

Example 7

In this example, untreated kava juice can be treated using the deviceused for creating pulsed electric field (PEF). Nearly 45 kilovolts/cmfield strength having a pulse duration of 3 microseconds was applied toeffect 4 positive and 4 negative pulses per second of untreated kavajuice. This PEF treatment involves a total of 35 positive and 35negative pulses. The heating was maintained at 35° C. to 40° C. or below40° C. during the processing of kava juice. The cold-water circulationwas maintained to control the temperature of the heating process andwater circulation in this example is performed at 10° C. to 15° C. It isexpected that processing of kava juice in this PEF treatment woulddecreases the microbes considerably and enhance the shelf life of kavajuice.

Example 8

In this example, untreated kava juice is subjected to non-ionizingradiation sterilization treatment namely microwave irradiation, afterbeing placed in a bottle and the bottle capped. The microwaveirradiation was performed about 50 to 60 seconds and the raise intemperature of the come-up zone is about 78° C. to 80° C. of the system.The capped kava juice was maintained at a target temperature of about78° C. for about 1 to 2 minutes. The bottle and the product were thenallowed to cool at 25° C. It is expected that this non-ionizationtreatment would reduce microbes reasonably and extend the shelf life ofkava juice.

Example 9

In this example, untreated kava juice is subjected to ionizing radiationsterilization technique namely γ-rays irradiation using Cobalt-60 asradiation source. Untreated kava juice is canned and irradiated withγ-rays from Co-60 source at −30° C. to −40° C. and received a dose inthe range of 3.5 to 6.5 megarads. Following ionizing radiationsterilization, the sterilized kava juice is allowed to cool at 25° C. Itis expected that this ionization treatment would reduce considerably themicrobes and improve the shelf life of kava juice.

Example 10

Appropriate carbohydrate degrading enzymes, lipases and proteases areall commercially obtainable. Enzymes by definition are not exhausted byreaction with their substrate. Therefore, while there is no minimum ormaximum amount of enzyme that can be added to the kava juice or kavaproduct, the amount will normally be determined based on the rate atwhich the enzyme acts under the circumstances where the substrate is tobe digested. For example, at pH 5.0 and 35° C. in the upper part of thelower intestine, time taken for the amount of substrate to be digested,divided by the time taken for the kava juice or kava product passes viathe intestine. Since there are issues related to enzyme stability andinterference from other ingredients in the kava juice or kava product, asurplus of enzyme will generally be provided. Use of proteinmicrospheres for encapsulation of biologically labile enzymes are addedas supplement in kava juice or kava product and projected for release inthe gastrointestinal tract. Most appropriate polymers for use as proteinmicrospheres are hydrolytically unstable and can be considered todegrade within a limited hour of exposure to water. These would be usedin dried or lyophilized requirements, so that release would be startedat the time of rehydration and significantly finished at the time thekava juice or kava product reached the small intestine.

What is claimed is:
 1. A method comprising: heating a kava product to apasteurization temperature at about 65° C. or higher, and adding aprocessing aid comprising an enzyme; wherein the method is configured tostabilize the kava product against microbiological decomposition orreduce microbial count to improve safety and extend shelf life underrefrigeration and/or at ambient temperature, without degradation of thekava product, wherein the kava product comprises kavalactones comprisingtwo or more of kavain, methysticin, desmethoxyyangoninn, yangonin,dihydrokavain and dihydromethysticin.
 2. The method of claim 1, whereinthe kava product comprises one or more of: a kava juice or a kava rootwater extract; a kava juice or a kava root water extract in beverages,aerated beverages; a raw kava product frozen; and a raw kava product atroom temperature.
 3. The method of claim 1, further comprisinghomogenizing the kava product.
 4. The method of claim 1, wherein theenzyme is encapsulated in a microsphere.
 5. The method of claim 1,wherein the enzyme comprises a carbohydrate degrading enzyme, a lipaseor a protease.
 6. The method of claim 1, further comprising exposing thekava product to an ionizing radiation or non-ionizing radiation.
 7. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the kava product is heated at thepasteurization temperature in a range about 65° C. to about 135° C. 8.The method of claim 6, further comprising cooling the kava product afterheating to a temperature of about 25° C. to about 5° C. to obtain a hightemperature short time (HTST) treated kava product.
 9. The method ofclaim 8, wherein the HTST the kava product is heated at thepasteurization temperature of about 0.1 or more.
 10. The method of claim8, wherein the kava product is exposed to a flash cooling.
 11. Themethod of claim 1, wherein the kava product is exposed to a pressure.12. The method of claim 11, wherein the pressure is wherein the pressureis about 200 MPa or higher.
 13. The method of claim 1, wherein themethod comprises exposing the kava product to a pulsed electric field.14. The method of claim 6, wherein the non-ionizing radiation comprisesof microwave radiation.
 15. The method of claim 6, wherein the ionizingradiation comprises Gamma (γ) radiation.
 16. The method of claim 1,further comprising packaging of the kava product, wherein the packagingthe kava product comprises an aseptic packaging.
 17. A method comprises:heating a kava product to a pasteurization temperature about 65° C. orhigher at about 0.1 second or more; homogenizing the kava product andadding a processing aid comprising an enzyme; wherein the method isconfigured to stabilize the kava product against microbiologicaldecomposition and prepare a shelf-stable kava product and reducemicrobial count in order to improve safety and extend shelf life underrefrigeration and/or at ambient temperature, without degradation of thekava product, wherein the kava product comprises kavalactones comprisingtwo or more of kavain, methysticin, desmethoxyyangoninn, yangonin,dihydrokavain and dihydromethysticin.
 18. The method of claim 17,further comprising packaging of the kava product, wherein the packagingthe kava product comprises an aseptic packaging.
 19. The method of claim17, wherein the enzyme is encapsulated in a microsphere.
 20. The methodof claim 17, wherein the kava product is heated at the pasteurizationtemperature in a range about 65° C. to about 135° C.